Shaun, pictured riding a bike alongside his wife who is riding a horse, now has a regular exercise regime and diet plan

His taste for expensive wine and brandy saw him blow almost £4,000 a year on bottles and and balloon to 22 stone.

It was only when he was hospitalised with a blood clot and deep vein thrombosis, sparking his devastated wife Elaine to give him a dressing down, that he launched his booze-free health kick.

And 12 months on, he has shifted more than a quarter if his body weight.

Shaun, from Manchester, said: “I knew I was fat, but I didn’t want to lose weight. I was enjoying myself eating and drinking whatever I wanted. I used to think, if I can’t have my expensive white wine, will me life even be worth living?

“I was so close to being disabled. It was a chore to even tie my shoes. Everything was an effort – but I still didn’t want to give up.

“I’ve been cursed with good taste. I couldn’t even drink the cheap stuff and it was costing me £300 a month.

“I cheated death once. I didn’t know if I would be so lucky again. Being in hospital knowing I could have died was terrifying.

“My wife turned around to me and said: ‘How many 22 stone 50 year olds do you know?’

“Before I could even answer, she said: ‘None’.

“Hearing the truth was horrible, but it was the wake-up call I needed to get my life in order.”

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